Now that Washington County District Attorney Todd Martens announced that he won't be charging James Buss for his anonymous posting at Boots and Sabers, the one that both West Bend teachers and police considered to be threatening, we're learning what Buss has to say about it.
Since the story first broke over the weekend, Buss hasn't responded to inquiries by the media. He still didn't return calls to his home made by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Wednesday. Dennis Coffey, Buss' attorney also wasn't talking to the JS.
But Buss has broken his silence.
From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
According to a West Bend police report, Buss told investigators that he was angered by comments on the Boots and Sabers Web site and on radio talk shows that opposed a recent West Bend school referendum plan.
The $119.3 million proposal, had it passed, would have been the largest in Wisconsin history. The measure was defeated nearly 2-1.
Buss told police he "just wanted to see if the hate towards teachers from other posters was so strong that other posters would endorse my facetious post," the report says.
In one post, Buss praised Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, two high school seniors who killed 12 students and one teacher at Columbine High School in Colorado in April 1999 before taking their own lives.
"We've got to get in back of the kids who have had enough of lazy, no good teachers and are fighting back. Kids like Eric Harris and Dylen Klebold," said the "Observer," whose message contained several misspelled words, including Klebold's first name.
Buss, who in a statement described himself as politically "moderate," told police he misspelled words and used incorrect grammar and punctuation to enhance his characterization of "Observer" as "a right-wing zealot."
...Buss told police that he did not intend his post, which he called "mischievous," as a threat, but he understood how someone could perceive it as "advocating a Columbine-like attack on schools." Buss said he posted comments on the Web site under two other names, "Jeff" and "Ditto."
This guy is a real piece of work.
Buss was mad at Boots and Sabers commenters and talk radio. He didn't like that they were against the $119.3 million West Bend school referendum plan. It seems that he was hoping for revenge.
So, Oak Creek High School chemistry teacher and former president of the Oak Creek School District's teachers union decided that he wanted to test the online posters and possibly expose them as crazed Columbine shooting supporters. Sick.
Buss claims he conducted an experiment of sorts. He wanted to find out if other posters would "endorse" his comment that praised Columbine shooters Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold as heroes. He wanted to learn if they would support his remark about taking out the overpaid teachers "one shot at a time."
He wasn't making an online threat, per se. He was being facetious to trip up those anti-tax increase conservatives by setting them up.
What a spinmeister!
He obviously has an extremely low opinion of people against $119.3 million tax referendums, believing that they are teacher-haters as well as poorly educated spellers.
The politically "moderate" Buss (Yeah, right!) intentionally used misspellings, bad grammar and punctuation to be convincing as a "right-wing zealot."
If poor spelling, grammar, and punctuation are indications of "right-wing zealots," then, in some cases, the public school system appears to be serving as a "right-wing zealot" factory, with its often high output of students with inadequate basic writing skills.
Buss' characterization of his post as "mischievous" is lame. West Bend teachers and police clearly didn't interpret it as "mischievous."
That poor mischievous imp Buss was so misunderstood.
The whole thing was all just a misunderstanding. That was the problem. The West Bend teachers didn't pick up on his clever ploy. Things snowballed when they failed to understand Buss' motivation behind his online techniques.
Buss admits to using other aliases besides "Observer."
I thought it was interesting that "Observer" Buss chose to spell his online nickname correctly even though spelling "teacher" proved to be more than "Observer" could handle.
I guess Buss can't get enough of Boots and Sabers. He apparently finds the discussion on the blog to be so irresistible that he has participated under three aliases. In addition to "Observer," Buss is also known as "Jeff" and "Ditto."
I guess he'll have to come up with some new ones.
Some more interesting details:
Buss was arrested Nov. 29 and was released from the Washington County Jail after posting $300 bail.
During a search of Buss' home, police seized two computers and two rifles.
West Bend police asked Martens to charge Buss with unlawful use of computerized communications systems and disorderly conduct, both misdemeanors.
Buss owns guns.
For someone making online postings praising the Columbine shooters, the presence of firearms in his home certainly had to be of concern to police and an reasonable observer.
Although police wanted Buss to be charged with unlawful use of computerized communications systems and disorderly conduct, DA Martens determined that Buss' speech was protected.
Will others consider the outcome of this case to be an invitation to be threateningly "facetious" online?
I doubt it. Only nutjobs would consider posting things as foul as Buss' comments.
It find it stunning that a teacher would behave so irresponsibly online. Teachers are entrusted with our children. Buss teaches students a lot more than just chemistry. His example, how he conducts himself, should serve to teach kids how to be responsible citizens. Buss dropped the ball on that one. He not only dropped it, he deflated it.
Now the matter is left to Sara Larsen, superintendent of the Oak Creek-Franklin School district.
What to do with Buss...
Larsen noted that Martens' failure to bring charges against Buss "doesn't really affect what we decide as a school."
"Larsen said she would review the police report with Buss before deciding what discipline to impose."
I predict Buss will be disciplined with a slap on the wrist.
No. I predict he'll receive a warning that he'll get a slap on the wrist if he decides to be "mischievous" online again.
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